EB-5 Visa Bulletin November 2025

The U.S. Department of State has published the November 2025 Visa Bulletin, marking the third consecutive month of stability for EB-5 visa categories. All set-aside categories created under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) — Rural, High-Unemployment, and Infrastructure — remain Current across all countries. The Unreserved category for China and India holds steady compared with October 2025, showing no change in Final Action or Filing Dates. However, looking one step further back to September 2025, the data shows that India still retains the forward movement it gained in October, and China continues to hold its slight filing-date retrogression from that month.

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EB-5 Final Action Dates (Chart A): October → November 2025

✅ Summary:
The November bulletin mirrors October exactly. China and India remain the only backlogged countries in the unreserved pool, while all set-aside categories continue to show immediate visa availability worldwide.

EB-5 Dates for Filing (Chart B): October → November 2025

📊 Interpretation:
For the second straight month, all EB-5 Filing Dates remain unchanged. The plateau reinforces the Department of State’s intent to maintain a consistent allocation pace and avoid mid-year retrogressions.

What Changed Since September 2025

Although the October and November bulletins are identical, it’s helpful to note the baseline shift that occurred from September → October (which still applies today):

• India (Unreserved) advanced from Nov 15, 2019 → Feb 1, 2021, where it remains.
• China (Unreserved) saw its filing date tighten from Oct 1, 2016 → Jul 1, 2016, with no further change since.
• Set-aside categories became and have stayed Current, showing consistent under-utilization of reserved visa allocations.

In other words, the market reached equilibrium in October, and November simply extended that stability.

Why the Set-Asides Remain the Sweet Spot

Since the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, 32 percent of EB-5 visas are reserved for specific project types:

• 20 % Rural
• 10 % High-Unemployment
• 2 % Infrastructure

Three months into Fiscal Year 2026, these categories continue to have Current priority dates for every country, meaning:

Qualified investors can file immediately and skip the waiting line.

The lack of movement in either direction indicates that demand remains moderate and far below the annual quota. For global investors — especially from China and India — these categories remain the fastest path to U.S. residency.

Regional-Center and Investor Analysis

1. Unreserved India — holding steady at Feb 2021 after last month’s forward move — suggests DOS and USCIS are successfully absorbing backlog without creating new ones.
2. China’s static December 2015 cutoff highlights its persistent legacy queue from pre-RIA petitions, but it has at least avoided new retrogressions.
3. Set-Aside Stability — for three consecutive months — signals that few investors are yet competing for the new rural and infrastructure allocations.

Investor Takeaways

1. Rural Projects Offer the Fastest Processing Path

Rural EB-5 petitions benefit from both Current visa status and priority adjudication under USCIS policy, typically resulting in faster approvals and green-card issuance.

2. India’s Progress Is Holding

While the February 2021 date still represents a wait for legacy investors, it’s notably stronger than the pre-October 2019–2020 cutoffs. New RIA investors should continue to file under set-aside categories for faster outcomes.

3. China Remains the Longest Queue

China’s cutoff has not advanced in three months, and filing remains limited to investors with priority dates before mid-2016 — unless they invest in rural or infrastructure projects.

4. All Other Countries

For investors from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, everything remains Current, meaning there’s no waiting line at all.

Market Outlook

• Short-term (Dec 2025–Q1 2026): Expect continued flat movement.
• Medium-term: If filings in rural projects rise sharply, DOS may introduce cutoff dates by mid-2026, but for now supply still exceeds demand.
• Long-term: India and China unreserved categories may advance slightly as older petitions clear, though significant jumps are unlikely until FY-2027.

The current pattern represents a stable, predictable environment — a rarity in the EB-5 world.

Conclusion

The November 2025 Visa Bulletin reinforces October’s status quo:

• No new movement in EB-5 Final Action or Filing Dates.
• Rural, High-Unemployment, and Infrastructure set-asides remain the best options for immediate visa availability.
• India’s forward movement from September continues to hold, while China’s filing window remains slightly narrower than before.

In short, EB-5 investors and regional centers can plan confidently knowing that November brings continued stability heading into the winter months of FY-2026.

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